'What do you have planned for this week? - a common enough question, one that I have asked and responded to many times. For most of my life I have intricately planned each day - often on an hourly basis. Activities for myself, my students, my family and my friends were thought about, prepared and allocated a particular time slot in which they would occur. This is the way a well-organised and fruitful life is managed. Of course the unexpected does occur and at such times it is important to be flexible, but in so doing one has to be careful not to divert too far from the pre-determined path. Right??
Most weeks, in my retired life, I still have a structure on which to hang the various activities of my life. But this last week there were no specific outings organised - in fact it was looking pretty bare. I fought off a vague feeling of panic as I looked at the week ahead. That question -'So what do you do now that you're retired?' loomed threateningly on the horizon as I realised, that my answer to such a question, this week would be nothing but a garbled cliche.... 'Oh a bit of this and that' maybe. I realised that I was not very comfortable with having such freedom. What was I concerned about?... boredom, loneliness, isolation, purposelessness. Another part of me however, was curious - how would I really cope with my 'empty' week? Maybe this was an opportunity to live in the moment, rather than control it.
As the week unfolded, I was encouraged by the opportunities that arose, precisely because I had not planned a plethora of activity to fill up each day. There was no way that boredom was even a part of the equation! My neighbour needed my babysitting sevices on Tuesday afternoon; I was able to provide my daughter-in-law with some household help on Wednesday. We delighted in the company of good friends on Wednesday night. A surprise overnight visit from my sister and brother-in-law was the focus for Thursday. Friday morning was an extremely pleasant shopping trip to Morpeth. And we were privileged to enjoy the company of our daughter, her husband and kiddies on Friday and Saturday. So that was my unplanned week!! As I look back, each day brought with it an opportunity to serve and love others. I didn't stress about any of it. The surprising thing was how satisfying and contented I felt in just 'going with the flow.'
Hopefully, this week's free spaces will bring opportunities for rest as well as service!
